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Canon City News

Tough decisions loom after voters say no to Canon City School District issues

Posted:
11/06/2013 02:17:36 PM MST

Words cannot express the disappointment we have after voters rejected both ballot issues for the Cañon City School District.

In Tuesday night's election, Issue 3B, a $1.35 million mill levy override, lost by 159 votes, and Issue 3C, a $5.45 million bond, lost by 529 votes.

The funds would have stayed in Cañon City schools and would have been used for building repairs and maintenance, textbooks and technology, school security and vocational and advanced placement offerings.

While voters voiced their opinion this election, the needs and challenges that face the district will not go away.

Cañon City is one of the lowest-funded districts in the state and does not receive financial support from the community. Student funding is $400 less, per student, today than it was four years ago and more than $3 million has been cut from the school district's budget during the past five years. The district has taken a 12 percent cut since 2009, but the bills and the needs haven't decreased.

Our students today work with outdated textbooks and computers. They need access to more vocational and advanced level classes. They deserve the same opportunities as students in any other district in this state.

But they will not have that opportunity after Tuesday's vote.

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Now the district faces some real tough decisions. Some incredibly unpopular moves may have to be made as it works with limited funding.

But to those who voted against the measures, we ask if they have any solutions to offer? Is it simply a matter of no and a shrug or can they offer reasonable, practical solutions to a district that is running out of answers.

Perhaps this says a lot about how we vote judging by the sheriff's office win Tuesday night. It took five attempts before the community rightfully supported the county's attempt for more funding for that department.

When the need is so great, it shouldn't take that many calls for help for the community to respond.

Let's hope the next time the school district asks for our help, we answer the call.